Our soil saver is infested with mosquitoes. Any idea how to deal with that problem?
6201
Are you sure that they're mosquitoes rather than some type of other bug such as fruit flies? Generally, mosquitoes would only be attracted to fresh blood (food) or standing water (to lay their eggs). We have two of the Soil Savers that we alternate with, and I've found that if I keep a good carbon-to-nitrogen ratio, the compost never smells bad or is overly attractive to bugs. I try to keep it at a 25-30 parts carbon (dry leaves, newspapers, straw, peat moss, pine needles) to 1 part nitrogen (veggie/fruit scraps, fresh lawn clippings, chicken manure, pulled weeds).
6202
My advice would be to take off the top and let it dry out for a little bit. Too much moisture breeds mosquitos.
6203
There is a product on Amazon called Mosquito Bits. I bought some for our pet water bowls and put in just a few granules. It can also be used on soil. This might work for you.
6204
You shouldn't need to empty it out, shred some newpapers through your paper shredder and add this along with your regular paper shredding to the compost and mix it in. This will help dry it out and give you some "browns". I always empty my paper shredder into the composter since we mainly compost kitchen scraps and I need more browns. Also as others have mentioned be sure to cover your kitchen scraps when you add them, especially in warm weather.
6205
That is a problem I have never had. I would try pulling all the material out and turning it well and then putting it back. Leave it uncovered for a few days to dry out a bit.
6206
The only reason I can think of as to why you have mosquitoes is that the contents are too wet. I suggest that you spray the contents with an Insecticidal Soap, midday if possible, and then either tip the contents out or, with help, lift the composting bin and let the contents fall out of the bottom. You need to let the contents dry out. Spread the compost out - or use it in your garden -and hopefully the mosquitoes will go somewhere else to breed!! The will only breed in wet areas, so you must make sure your compost bin is not near any standing water. Hope this helps.
6207
Always be sure your top layer is dried leaves and also make sure ALL food scraps are completely covered. If even a little piece of lettuce, fruit skin, etc. is visible, it will attract fruit flies and, perhaps, Mosquitos as well. Also, make sure your not depositing anything that has even the tiniest but of meat, chicken, etc. on it.
2234041
It comes with a metal holder stand already.Or you could get a thin metal rod, put it in the little hole in the middle of the coil, then stick it in the grass or flower pot near where you are to keep the mosquitoes away. It would work.Or you could always buy another box of the coils and use the metal stand to burn all your remaining coils.
1173349
I recommend Miracle Grow potting soil. I fill the wick columns with Miracle Grow, then I place about 1" to 1 1/2" of Miracle Grow over the rest of the Grow Box. I add a 1 1/2" layer of Black Gold (worm dung) and then finish filling the Grow Box with Miracle Grow. DO NOT USE THE FERTILIZER that came with the grow box. In the two grow boxes I tried this in I lost more plants and replaced more plants. In the grow box where I did what I told you, I've not lost a single plant. My plants are going great. I would also mix in some Marigolds around your tomatoes, cucumbers, etc. to help keep the bugs away. Good Luck!
986495
http://www.cedarcidestore.com/natural_pest_control.html There's a video and the instructions for dilution. We've used this product to fight fleas in our yard/garden stones area. It WORKS! :-) We also saw a decrease in ticks!
1372811
They work well for preventative maintenance. If you are already infested use neem oil, or mighty wash. Half the bugs arrived dead, but I still had enough.
2015931
I don't see why you couldn't. It's not going to stop every single mosquito, but it will help. You'll probably go broke buying all the stuff if you have an outside dog. Best thing to do is get some permethrin spray and treat your yard or the area in and around your kennel. Just make sure it fully dries before you put your dog in it tho.
30685
I am just guessing that if it is muddy, there has to be water of some kind around/near. It seems logical it would work, but I don't know for sure. This might be a question to direct to the manufacturer, sending them photos of the area and more detailed information about if there is any water, if the water is trickling away down the creek so any BT would be moved off the target area, etc. Is there grass that is wet growing near the muddy creek which would hold moisture and provide mosquito breeding grounds? You may have to expand your treatment area to beyond just the muddy creek. Good luck! I am just guessing that if it is muddy, there has to be water of some kind around/near. It seems logical it would work, but I don't know for sure. This might be a question to direct to the manufacturer, sending them photos of the area and more detailed information about if there is any water, if the water is trickling away down the creek so any BT would be moved off the target area, etc. Is there grass that is wet growing near the muddy creek which would hold moisture and provide mosquito breeding grounds? You may have to expand your treatment area to beyond just the muddy creek. Good luck!
1085884
There are two kinds of attractant for mosquitoes. Make sure you get the correct attractant for your area or part of the country and you should be good to go.
2067789
I couldn't tell you the answer to that, but I can say that this was exactly my experience last summer. I tried everything I could think of, and nothing worked. This year we went with a mosquito spraying service instead; I wish I had just done that last year.
1502389
You can plant the seeds right in the ground. This plant is quite hardy! I love how we seem to have less mosquitoes! Good luck!
1752479
I'm having a constant fruit fly problem. I'm about to resort to neem oil, I think they may have laid eggs inside of it. I open it up daily and at least 50 or 60 fly out.
708975
Hi Dolores, fortunately, we don't have much of a mosquito problem, so I can't answer your question definitively, however, I would think the breeze and cooler air would help keep them away.
1261559
I have not had an issue with mosquitoes, perhaps because my drainpipe covers most of the screen. I do not currently have a plant in the basin that can be placed over the top of the barrel.
1203700
I have no idea, but I recommend doing your entire lawn. Mosquitos can fly over borders!
1090489
I use mine dry, just sprinkle around the entire top of the soil and water in. This is the only thing that I have found that gets rid of the pesky gnats. I tried all the natural options, repotting and other chemical options and they didn't work. I have heard that the gnats lay their eggs on the roots of the plant. I am not sure how often to use. The bugs are usually gone after one application. If you still see some bugs in a couple of weeks, I would reapply.
2073554
I used a garden sprayer (used to spray insect repellent etc.) worked well for us and would recommend setting sprayer on fine spray.
631216
Try a 3-in-one organic pesticide, miticide and fungicide. It works well for me.